Web site a tool to track sex offenders

A sexual predator lives less than half a mile from where Christmas Tillotson raises her 3-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter in Southeastern Clarke County.

She learned that after typing in her address on “Offender Watch,” a new feature of the Clarke County Sheriff’s Web site.

Tillotson and anyone else also can use the free service to see if offenders live near their child’s school, day care center or playground.

“I’m aware that sex offenders are out there — this is a legitimate concern,” the stay-at-home mom said. “It’s great that there is information available to keep us aware and alert as to what’s going on.”

Under Georgia law, a sex offender must register with his or her county’s sheriff within 72 hours of being released from prison, placement on probation or relocating from another county.

They can’t live, work or loiter within 1,000 feet of schools, churches and just about anywhere children gather.

As of last week, 110 convicted sex offenders were registered with the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office. They committed crimes ranging from rape to child molestation, but many are listed for statutory rape convictions.

Concerned residents can plug in any address to find out if sex offenders live within two miles, one mile, a half mile and quarter mile of the location.

The address calls up a map that marks the location of any sex offender’s registered address within a chosen radius.

On the Web site, people can find offenders’ names, addresses, their offenses, and even see their photographs.

Sheriff’s officials suggest that parents show their children photographs of offenders who live nearby so they know who to stay away from.

“We feel that with this enhanced technology tool, we will better serve the information needs of our community, by providing a more detailed resource of registered sex offenders,” said sheriff’s Capt. Jimps Cole, whose Field Section oversees sex-offender tracking.

People even can register addresses to be notified by e-mail when a sex offender moves within a mile of those places.

People need to know where sex offenders live because they are more likely to reoffend than other criminals, according to experts.